


The Reaching Web

by JadedBlade88



Category: Halo, Halo Reach - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Feels too much, Fix-It, Happy Ending, Romance, Sadness, happy endings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-11 22:36:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7910242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadedBlade88/pseuds/JadedBlade88
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Fix-It Fic for the heart wrenching game that is Halo Reach. Follow Noble team with my own Noble Six, Stella added in place. A medic/pilot for the Saber program, hopefully she's got exactly what the team needs to survive the fall of Reach. Spoilers! Don't read if you haven't played/finished the game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic I've published, so please keep that in mind while reading. I'm still working on it, so bits may not connect, or may just be missing. Notes at the end for more.

The Reaching Web 

A spider's web stretches far and wide, encasing and entrapping everything it touches, but does it suffocate? Or protect?  
_________________________________

The room fell silent as she stepped through the door, all eyes flying to her. Noble team, minus Jun, analyzed her in seconds. 

Tall, but not incredibly so, she was outfitted in Mark IV armor, mostly white with red highlights, and a Red Cross on each shoulder. As she turned to look around the room, they all saw the same mark painted with see through paint on her visor. She had a shotgun on her back, and a Covent energy sword at her belt, a medical kit on the other hip. Her belt was filled with explosives, ammo, and enough knives to make Emile happy. Kat threw a hand across her path.

"Commander." She spoke, and Carter simply turned his head to look at the newcomer, silent.

"So that's our new number 6." Jorge spoke up, leaning back to take her in. 

Emile tilted his head, sharpening his Kukuri. "Kat, you read her file?" 

The woman sounded haughty as she answered. "Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink." 

Carter turned back to the screen, finished with the conversation. Six took that time to analyze the team herself, noting weapons on hand, size, armor mod, and rank. Once the briefing was over, everyone hurried out, leaving Six and One alone.  



	2. Jorge

_________________________________  
Jorge

"Damn. So it's gonna be like that." Jorge hissed, slamming a hand into the computer terminal. He glanced at Stella, who was staring back at him. 

"I've got good news and bad news. The ship took some fire, the only way off this slag is gravity." They both glanced at the shield doors, damn that was a long fall. 

She replaced her shotgun, noting how low on ammo she was. "And the good news?" 

"That was the good news. Detonator is trashed, the bomb has to be armed manually." Helmet on the ground, he tore his dog tags off and held them out. Stella took his hand, alarmed. 

As soon as he picked her up off her feet, she knew. "Jorg-" 

"Reach has been good to me, time I repaid the favor. Don't-" He would have finished, if her amour didn't send out a low power, but still freezing shock wave. His knees and spine froze up. 

"Don't you ever say shit that like that ever again!" She spit, wrenching from his grip. He couldn't see her face, but he knew she was pissed. "Spider! Data report." She hissed, and what looked like a square metal plate detached from her belt, growing sharp legs and crawling up her arm. It formed a small screen with legs. "Don't you fucking do anything 5, I can fix this. You're not dying on me." She said, turning to look at him. He narrowed his eyes at her, slightly angry himself. 

The machine on her arm jumped off, skittering towards the bomb. 

"The hell's that? Not an AI." 

"S.P.D.R. Specialized prototype data core robotic. My sister is high up in tech, I'm testing it." She answered, although she still sounded angry. Jorge pretended not to notice the way she flinched away from him when he moved to get his helmet. 

For a minute or so, they both watched the Spider dance over the bomb, the computer, and the ship screen, pulling wires and entering codes as it went. Then, with a pleased whirring sound, it turned a light green color. 

The machine ran back over to her, lighting up its screen and moving its short front arms. She nodded once. 

"Good. Then let's go." Six started to gather up her weapons, grabbing a few grenades as she turned away from the slip space drive. 

"Wait, that's it? That thing fixed it?" 

She nodded as it crawled up her body, locking itself around her wrist and turning into a detonator. "All it had to do was reconnect the inner flash core and refresh the start linnets. Move!" She shouldered past him and to the shield, though didn't let him from her sight. 

"I'm trusting you six." Was all he said as he heaved his gun up from the ground and moved to stand beside her. She nodded, and then, taking a deep breath, jumped. Jorge followed. 

Once they where far enough away, she clicked Spider, and the ship went up in a purple explosion. Jorge sent her a thumbs up, smiling beneath his helmet when he caught sight of something behind her. 

Both turned as their radios filled them in. Jorge saw six say something to him, but his radio had already clicked out, and he'd entered Reach's gravity. They started to drift apart, the difference in size causing it, when he saw her pull something from her amour and chuck it at him. Luckily, he was a good catch, and when he glanced down, he had an armor lock in his hands. The man looked back up, alarmed, but she had already vanished, flying faster than him, and the ship above started to follow them down. 

Landing was a different problem. Thanks to Stella's armor lock, he was fine, though a little bruised from the shock of bouncing around in his suit on impact. Another problem, the lock was malfunctioning. He couldn't turn it off, couldn't move, couldn't radio. Jorge frowned heavily, but found he couldn't do much else. He hadn't seen Six land, but he hoped she was well enough to come find him. 

His hopes where well based. He nearly smiled when he saw Spider scuttling towards him, screen lit up with a !? It crawled over his visor, screen turning to words. 

"Remain calm, help will be here soon." He read, and then the machine let out a large white bubble shield over his body. When he glanced at the blinking screen again, it said "Sending SOS signal."

He frowned. Where was Six? He tried to raise his head to look around, but that's when a ground rocking crash chose to occur. He couldn't turn to see, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the front of the ship land near them. Very near him. 

The robot noticed as well, as a ! popped up, and the shield became a brighter, thicker shade of white. And that's when the other half hit the ground. 

The shield took all of the dust and debris, but a large piece of plating fell over him, and then something landed on it, heavy enough to strain the bubble. The robot groaned against the pressure, small body hunkering down against his chest with a few weak sparks, but the shield held. It fell dark, lit only by the occasional flashing of Spider. 

After what felt like hours, he heard shuffling above them, and then the plating was lifted off of them, and thrown to the side. 

Spartan B312 stood before him, limping heavily and favoring her left arm. Sword in hand, she was panting heavily. 

The spider disengaged the shield, skittering to her and updating the woman. She nodded and dropped to her knees beside him, tearing into the armor lock tech. 

"You alive in there Jorge?" 

He couldn't answer of course, but he glared at her. 

She chuckled breathily, as if noticing him. "If you're dead, then I walked all this way for nothing." With a strong tug and the flash of a wire giving away, his armor relaxed, screen lighting up with a damage assessment. She stretched a hand out to him, and he took it, getting to his feet. In his hand sat his Dogtags. 

As he stretched his sore muscles, he asked: "Nice thinking with the armor lock, but what's with the bot?"

She shrugged, stopping with a wince. "I figured we'd get separated, but thought about sending him too late." 

He nodded towards her scuffed armor and limp, and her sword drawn. She shook her head. 

"Lost my med pack when I hit the ground and bounced. Took me awhile to find my sword and shotgun, then I came to get you." She retracted her blade, hooking it to her hip."Let's go find the rest of noble team." 

He nodded again, then paused as she started to shamble forward, watching her struggle for a moment. 

"Need a hand?" He asked, and she paused to look back at him. 

"Wouldn't mind a shoulder. Just till I get my legs back!" She added quickly as he moved closer, leaning down slightly to take her arm over his shoulders. 

"Of course Six." He chuckled, moving forward towards the burning city. They had shit to do, people to save, a team to meet up with. 

As soon as they where in range, their radios tuned into the chatter going on, updating both Spartans rapidly. Stella stood on her own, having stopped the bleeding in her leg a bit ago. 

Jorge hefted his machine gun, ready to take on the world again. Stella smiled as she drew her sword, looking around for any spare medpacks. 

Together, the two advanced, taking down everything that stood between them and the UNSC. When they linked up with some soldiers, they helped with civilian Evacs, Six piloting and Five working the guns. They made an imposing pair. 

Carter greeted them once they both made it to the rendezvous point. 

"Glad to see you both." He started, hand on Stella's back. She nodded at him, while the fact that Stella had saved his life just hit Jorge. 

"Thanks to six, we're both back." He said, causing both shorter Spartans to look back at him. He ducked his head in thanks to the woman, who nodded back. 

"Sorry about shocking you." She added, and Carter shook his head. 

"Have your apology party later. Move noble team." He ordered, though his tone was light for the normally serious man.  
Night fell, taking with it the planet and the still whole and fighting Noble team. But Reach was anything but silent. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone likes this, comment and I'll post the rest. If you don't, thanks for reading this far.


	3. Kat

Kat

"What's this bug want Six? Won't leave me alone." Kat asked, trying to swat the machine away as it tapped repeatedly on her leg. 

Emile was talking to Stella, but she turned to look at the female. "No idea. I think his coding to English was damaged, it's not translating up here." She tapped her helmet, while the bot continued it's rapid tapping. 

"Can you secure a connection?" 

"Not anytime soon." 

"Could they track an open channel?"

Kat shrugged. "I could." 

Everyone paused to listen to Cornel Holland repeat his message, sounding urgent. Carter looked at Kat, his expression unreadable to anyone but her.

"Keep it brief." Kat was saying, handing the com to Carter. That's when Spider crawled up her arm and planted itself in her hand, screen lighting up rapidly. Most of Noble team could read: 

"M.O.V.E.N.O.W." 

That's when the explosion hit. Everyone hit the dirt, struggling to rise and run. Jorge helped Kat up, and all of the six ran into the elevators. 

"He was trying to tell me about the airstrike!" Kat said, holding the device. It nodded as best it could, still wrapped tight around her wrist.

"Yeah, well, you should have him hooked up to your head. He's going off about something-" Stella answered, slamming a palm against the top center of her helmet.

"What did holland say?"

"We're being re-deployed to Sword base." 

"What? Covenant own it now!" Jun objected. 

"That's why we're being deployed there for a torch and burn operation. Hollands giving it first priority." 

Carter, Jun, and Emile all ran ahead, and Jorge, Kat and Stella all followed. 

"Where does he get off-" a bullet flew into the room, hitting Kat's helmet but bouncing off. Stella howled, holding her head, as Spider hit the ground, hardware exploded where he took the bullet. 

Jorge lit the phantom up as the others got a mildly dazed Kat, groaning Stella, and Emile stooped to pick up Spider; into cover.

They regrouped in a another, more secure part of the building, Jun taking the door. 

"You two alright?" Carter asked, though he was hovering over Kat. She was fine, the bullet hadn't even taken off the paint of her helmet. Stella was still hissing in pain. 

"Are we clear?" She asked, and Jun nodded, slightly confused. The woman tore off her helmet, dropping it to the ground beside her. She had two star looking implants on her temples, and one was sparking lightly, the skin surrounding it burnt. 

This was the first time the group had seen her without it on. She had bright green eyes, set large, and bow lips in a pale face. She had no scars, besides the implants, and her black hair was in a tight bun. They watched as she turned the sparking tech once, then back twice the other way, wincing. 

"One of our connections blew when he took the shot. Damn him, he should've thrown a shield up." She explained, taking the machine when Emile held it out for her. His screen was dark, a few legs still twitching. His back had taken the bullet, and while it had gone deep, it hadn't gone all the way through. 

"That's my fault, I was holding him real tight. I'm surprised he could move that fast." Kat spoke up, talking her own helmet off and kneeling beside the woman. 

"It's not anyone's fault. The little bug saved your life." Jun added. 

Stella flipped him over, tapping a few times on his screen in an intricate pattern. They watched as it flicked on, a dull blue, and it's legs and arms retracted. She carefully clicked the rectangle on her belt, standing. 

"We haven't got time for this. Lead on 1." She replaced her helmet and held a hand out for Kat, who took it with a grateful nod as they rose. 

Carter led them outside, and Six put down an Evac flare. As she covered the group, she held Spider in her hand, tilting him back and forth to observe the exposed hardware. Jorge rested a hand on her shoulder, startling her. 

"You know, I'm pissed that he did this, but he saved a life over everything else. I'm proud of the bug." 

"Guess he did learn something from you after all." 

She turned to look at the large man, analyzing his tone. "I guess he did." Flipping the machine, she took out what looked like a needle from her belt, starting to rearrange the wires and editing coding in his exposed panel. Kat and Jorge, the two watching, saw his legs twitch, then it's arms come out, take the needle, and continue. 

Stella was smiling as she placed the now-self repairing bot back in her belt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comment if you want more, thank you Blue!


	4. Carter-Emile-Stella

"Wait, boss, you need to stop!" Six was saying, holding a bandage and stitching a new hole closed on the man at the same time. 

Jorge and Emile where providing cover fire on the banshees following them, Kat was trying to help pilot. 

"Haven't got time: everyone off! Get six and that AI to Autumn! Priority one." 

"Commander-" Kat tried to interrupt, concerned for her friend. 

" Don't wanna hear it." He shook his head, the ship veering with him. "I'll draw their fire. Jump on my mark." 

Everyone got into position, not willing to argue with the leader. 

"Mark!" He shouted, and everyone hit the dirt hard, rolling to a stop in a crater. As the dust settled, they gathered themselves, standing and watching Carter fly by, avoiding Banshee's as he did so.

"We have to help him. We need to figure out a plan." Six said as soon as she checked the A.I's storage unit for damage. 

Jorge nodded, about to say something, but Kat put her hand out to stop him. "We have our priority. Move on." 

Six whipped around to stare at her. "How can you be so cold? That's our captain!"

"Look, Stella, we know you're a medic so you really wanna help people, but we have a mission." Emile added, shouldering his gun. 

She hissed at him. "It's not about being a medic! It's about saving my friends lives. It's about saving all the lives that I can." 

"Exactly. So we need to move forward. To save the rest of humanity." 

Stella didn't say anything, just looked up where Carter was keeping the banshees busy. Kat and Jorge moved on, taking between themselves, and Emile waited on Six. He had Spider, as the creature simply took a liking to him, and it was perched on his shoulder, watching the woman. 

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Remain so level headed when faced with the death of our teammates."

When he didn't answer, she turned to him, and found he was looking down, posture relaxed. He sighed before speaking.

"When I first joined, we lost five and six. They where close to me, they all are. But when they died, it hit me hard. And then it hit me. Treat everyone like they're going to die, and you'll do fine." 

Stella shook her head, but moved forward, Emile close behind. 

"So if this is the last time you'll ever see me, what'll be your last words then?" She asked. 

He chuckled, back to his old self. "Man am I gonna miss those patch jobs of yours. Medpacks just don't feel the same anymore." 

She shouldered him as he walked by her, and the group of four headed to complete the mission.   
|  
*time skip!*   
|  
Emile took the huge anti-air gun, having moved faster than his other three teammates. They where on the landing pad, struggling to clear it. 

Kat and Stella stayed together, close range fighting and trading places as they always had. Jorge was backing the UNSC reinforcements, halfway across from them all. 

"Last batch boys! Stay strong!" He shouted, rallying the group.   
Kat backed up to reload, calling it as Stella finished the grunt with her energy sword. They both took cover behind a raised building as Jorge and the others cleared the rest. 

Spider was shouting something through her connection, panic clear in his robotic tone. "Emile?" Stella radioed.

"Busy!" Was her answer. 

"Spider is freaking out, he keeps saying turn around, turn around-"   
Stella left her hiding place to spot the man, just finishing off the first Elite to attack him. He had half turned, following her instructions when a blade slid through his chest. 

Everything slowed down. She watched him swing off the sword and pull his blade, screaming about something, saw Spider jump onto him. She was running before her brain even noticed it. 

"Cover fire 5! 9 o clock!" She shouted, and without even looking he swung his gun to do so. Stella sprinted as hard as she could, jumping over crates, railings, and dodging covenant as she went. In just a minute or so, she was on the gun platform. 

The zealot that had stabbed Emile was dead, his knife deep in his throat. Emile had been bubbled by Spider, against a wall, as the man had collapsed. A remaining elite was beating on the shield, shouting, but it held. Stella shot him in the back of the head, point blank then collapsed on her knees. 

"Shit. Emile, talk to me." She was already peeling away his chest piece, allowed into the bubble by spider. His head rolled to the side to look at her, chest heaving. 

"Should'a... Listened f-faster...." He managed, wincing as she started to prod at the wound and look around. 

The blade had gone completely through, missed his heart at least, but she couldn't see what else. Internal bleeding would kill him! 

"This is gonna hurt..." She warned, then plunged a cauterization tool and a few of her fingers into his chest. Emile cursed colorfully, just in time for Kat and Jorge to come up the platform. 

"Pelican on the way- holy shit!" 

"Someone man the gun! Now!" Stella shouted, not turning from her patient. She was pinching veins shut and cauterizing them as she went, movements careful and precise. 

But Emile and Kat, who had joined her by his side, could tell she was panicking. She was a medic, not fucking god. 

They where both surprised when he raised his shaking hand, grabbing her own blood covered one. "Give it up Six, we've got a mission. Go." 

She shook her head rapidly, swallowing loudly and retracting her hands and tool. She started to stitch, while a pelican landed on the pad. Emile's breathing started to slow, his hand dropping. He stopped breathing.

"We need to go..." Kat laid her hand on Stella's shoulder, but she shook her off roughly. The woman tore off her helmet. 

"No! Spider, defibrillate mode." The machine split in half, held together by his legs, and she took him in hand and held him to Emile's chest. 

"Six-" 

"Take the damn A.I! Go!" She hissed, throwing it off her back and at Kat. The woman caught it out of reflex, watching her friend. She motioned to Jorge, who said he'd stay, and then she sprinted to the pelican to deliver it. The UNSC soldiers ran with her, leaving the Spartans alone. 

"Shock." She ordered, and the machine did as told, delivering a high powered shockwave to the man. His body lifted off the ground, but his heart didn't start. She cursed, and ordered him to do it again. 

Jorge moved over to her as she kept repeating it, throwing off his helmet and giving him mouth to mouth. She alternated between CPR, pumping on his chest, and shocking him. Five watched in silence until it became too much, gone on too long. 

"Stella-" 

And that's when he gasped, taking a huge breath and coughing. Stella sat back, smiling when his eyes went to her. 

"He's alive. We need Evac ASAP." Jorge radioed, and that's exactly when the Autumn took off. 

"Get on the gun, they need the skies clear!" Kat came running up, and Jorge took to the gun again. Stella helped Emile up, and Kat handed him his helmet. 

"Almost given up on you."   
He slid it on, leaning heavily on six. He was already out of breath. 

"Yeah, well, I'm full of surprises." 

Spider flashed brightly, and Six held the com on her helmet. "And so am I. I've got us a ride."

"Noble team, this is Carter. Meet me back at the caves for a ride out of here. But hurry. Covenant contacts are crawling out of the cracks."   
Kat froze, heart in her throat. 

"Carter? I though you'd-"

"Me too. But a few pilot friends of Six's came and backed me up. Now get a move on it! I want to see you all in the next ten minutes." 

"Kat-"

"I know. Jorge, take point. Stella, watch our backs." She spoke, trading places with the woman. She let go of Emile almost reluctantly, raising her shotgun. 

"He's still in danger of internal bleed out, so don't shake him too much. 5, can you handle taking the firepower?" She asked, fixing Spider on Emile's chest. He immediately turned into a heart monitor, and an effective patch over the hole in his armor. 

Jorge chuckled. "I think I've got one or two more dead runs in me. Think you three can keep up?" 

A round of weak smiles, and then they set off. Jorge set a steady, but slower than normal pace, picking off enemies that approached, and Stella jumped in when it got too hairy. Kat just needed to pull her pistol once, when a grunt got past the two. Emile was doing well, considering he was stabbed through the chest and his heart stopped. 

"There it is! I can see the caves. Move move move!" Kat shouted. True to her work, they saw the entrance, but it was blocked by Covent. No way they could fight through that, not with a man down. 

"We have to run through it. Spider will put up the biggest shield he's got, but stay close to Jorge. Ready?" Stella asked, as the group hid behind a rock outcropping. 5 grit his teeth. The entrance wasn't that far away, but this was gonna be a hell of a run. Kat nodded, and so did Emile. 

"Go." She said, and Spider threw up a huge bubble shield, covering the whole group as they sprinted out and used the element of surprise to take out some of the aliens. Kat, Jorge, Stella and even Emile lit those up in their path, and the shield did very well the first twenty paces. However, the machine couldn't handle this much strain in one day, and the shield flickered, allowing a few needles in at Stella and Jorge. 

"Spider! Reduce shield size, convert all access power to strength." She ordered, and it shrunk enough to cover Emile, Kat, and Jorge, growing solid again. Almost there! 

"Ghost!" Kat shouted, veering to avoid being rammed. Emile hit the dirt and rolled, and Stella jumped on it, planting a bomb and jumping off. 

"Got it. Go! Go! Almost there!" She turned to shoot a rapidly approaching zealot, but a few blasts of his met their mark. Kat picked up Emile, shield still up, and they continued on, Stella on their heels, and covenant hot on hers. 

Jorge ran into the caves, shouting: "Clear! Everyone in!!" 

Another ghost just missed the three by an inch, and Stella went after it.   
"Six! Get your ass in here!" He shouted, Emile and Kat standing beside him. They ducked as a rocket flew past their heads, exploding somewhere behind them. 

"Go! I'll keep them busy!" She shouted, as she leapt off the Ghost, it's rider with a hole in his brain as she did so. 

The three Spartans shared a look of horror. "What? No-"

She turned and threw a grenade at them, up high. An explosion shook the whole cavern. They looked up and saw the cave entrance collapsing, closing off the way in. 

"Six!" Kat shouted, and they watched as a huge group of Elites and Zealots chased her down, her pulling her own sword to meet theirs. Before the rocks hit the ground, they saw her get shot many times, and she was outnumbered incredibly, throwing punches and grenades left and right. And then it went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first cliffhanger! Next one coming up. Again, comments are welcome and appreciated!


	5. Stella-Jun

"Shit! We have to go back!" Emile shouted, heart rate picking up. Kat was already analyzing the rock wall between them. 

"Not getting through this. We need to go over." She turned and met Jorge's gaze. 

"To the ship." He said, and nodded once, stooping to pick up Emile fireman style. 

"Hey-" He started. This position hurt his back and his chest at the same time, burning pain clouding his brain.

"Suck it up, we need to hurry." Jorge hissed, already full on sprinting. Kat was checking her holo. 

"Should just be on the other side of these caves! Spider, do you have life support on six?"

Emile looked down and saw his screen light up, then a six pointed star, Stella's symbol, pop up. It was glowing yellow, blinking, but a heart rate was displayed beside it. It was racing. 

If possible, Kat and Jorge put on a larger burst of speed, making it through the caves in record time. Carter was sitting in the Pelican, as promised, and they all piled on. 

"Status report! Where's six?"

"We need to pick her up. We got separated on the other side. Tangos." Jorge explained. Carter grit his teeth. 

"Reach is falling. Are we sure she's-"

"Spider had her heart rate a few minutes ago, but he's out of range now." 

He shook his head. "I need to get you out of here..."

"Sir, with all due respect, Six has saved all our lives." Jorge objected, voice hard. 

"She's family." Kat added, holding spider. 

Emile coughed, then spoke. "You owe her one anyway, for saving your ass." 

Carter shook his head, but lifted off. "Kat, I need directions." She sighed in relief, then ran to do just that. 

Jorge kneeled beside Emile. "How you feeling?" 

Emile turned to look at him. "Ain't dead yet. Not sure how long I'll last without Six though." He meant it in a medical sense, but it was heard the opposite throughout the ship.

Jorge chuckled, weary and stressed sounding. "Hey, you got to make out with her. Shame you weren't awake for it." 

"Damn shame." Emile agreed, and then they cleared the top of the caves, and all eyes went to the battle field. 

"You sure their were contacts here?" Carter asked. She had left a trail of bodies, and smoking ghosts alike. No sign of her though. 

"Kat, you and 5 go get her. I'll play lookout." 

They both nodded and jumped off, spider staying on the ship with Emile. His screen was displaying Jorge's helmet cam, for Carter and Emile. 

The two on the ground followed the trail of dead aliens, all leading up a hill and into a small cave. The smoking remains of a ghost was scattered across the entrance, covered in blood. It was dark inside, and silent. Both raised their guns and wandered inside, quietly. 

"Hurry up noble, I'm seeing phantoms on the way." Carter warned, though he was watching the screen carefully. 

A bright red boot could be made out in the darkness, and they both rushed to it, finding Stella leaned against a wall of the cave, shotgun in hand and sword nearby. She had new bullet holes, stab wounds, and her visor was cracked badly. Kat kneeled beside her, noticing her unmoving body and head lolled to the side. 

"Is she...?" Carter asked, seeing what they saw. Jorge shuffled, causing a pebble to roll and hit her foot. Both Spartans had to hit the dirt when she raised her gun and fired in the direction of the sound. 

"Woah, woah! It's us." Jorge said, causing the woman to pause. She tilted her head in his direction. 

"Though I t-told.... You to get to... The s-s-ship...." She managed, voice rough. Kat managed a watery laugh, sounding on the verge of tears. Jorge picked her up gently, bridle style, and the three ran from the cave. 

Carter picked them all up, and then rocketed away from Reach as fast as he could in that ship. Jorge buckled her into a seat beside Emile, and Kat struggled with treating her wounds with her medkit. She took off Six's helmet, and noticed she had many cuts on her face, very close to her eyes. 

"Took a frag grenade too close... Fucked my visor." Kat nodded and Jorge set his gun down, hovering nearby. Stella turned to glance at Emile. 

"You good?" 

He nodded, watching one of her cuts start to bleed heavily down her cheek. Spider was around her neck, hugging her in a odd way, chattering in a metallic voice that only translated in her head. His screen was flashing symbols, numbers, words, and colors, but Four could make out the pink heart every few flashes. 

"You okay six?" Carter called, busy taking to Aunt Dot. 

"Just glad to be back sir. You came back for me?" She sent a sweeping glance over the whole team. Carter nodded though she couldn't see it. 

"The team wouldn't have anything else. And thanks for the assist earlier." 

"I thought the Coveys knocked out all the fighters, or that they'd been pulled back. How'd you get an escort?" Five asked, removing his own helmet, he sat back in his own seat slowly, sore as hell. Something had to be broken. 

"You have no idea how many favors I had to call in with my friends from the Saber program." She sighed and relaxed as the painkillers Kat gave her kicked in. "Did they make it out Captain?" 

"They did. Convent didn't even see them coming, but then they got called off planet." 

Stella nodded, and the ship fell silent. "You really shouldn't of come back for me. You could have died." She said with her eyes shut, talking to everyone. 

"We could say the same for you." Emile answered, and a tired smile lit her face. Then her head rolled forward, expression slipping from her face, going boneless. Emile tensed and Jorge was reaching for her before Kat spoke. 

"Relax. I put her into an induced sleep. Her shoulder's dislocated." She stood, and with a three count, put it back accompanied with a sickening crunch. She frowned. "Arm's broken too. Boss, we need a real doctor, fast. Or half the teams out." Kat shouted. 

"It's punched. UNSC wants us to rendezvous at Telsia's orbital station. We have to flash." Carter answered. Kat nodded, making sure Stella was buckled in completely, then Emile, who glared at her, and then sat beside Jorge, fixing her own. He struggled to buckle himself, almost too big for the restraint, but got it. 

"Clear back here." 

"Flashing in 3...2....1."   
The world blurred for about four seconds, momentum throwing them forward light years into space, and then they stopped suddenly, giving everyone a bad case of whiplash. 

What was left of Reach's forces was docked at the huge station surrounding the watery planet. 

"This is Spartan Carter 118, requesting landing. I've got injured, we need a doctor stat." 

"We hear you Spartan, clearing a landing bay now. We'll have medical staff on standby." 

A door opened, huge enough for the ship, and Carter landed inside, wasting no time. Jorge lifted Stella from her seat, Spider still attached, and Carter helped Emile up as the group left the ship, beaten. 

Ten or so stretchers where waiting for them, along with five doctors and about a dozen nurses. Stella was taken first, doctors crowding around, all talking rapidly and reaching for her. A few nurses squealed as a shield was thrown up, weakened as it was. Spider sat hissing on the woman's chest, snapping his legs at the doctors. 

Emile, being laid on a stretcher against his will, rolled his eyes. 

"Someone go calm down fido." He muttered as he was wheeled away, already being asked a flurry of questions. 

"Spider, stand down. Medical personal override." Kat muttered, and it obeyed, shield flickering off, though it didn't move. Jorge was explaining the situation to the doctors as they moved. Kat stood beside Carter, and she nearly laughed as some doctors latched onto him too. 

"No, I don't need-" 

A too sweet looking nurse grabbed his arm and led him down the hallway, talking to him like a child. The fearless Spartan leader of Noble team was helpless to resist her. Kat laughed, and then strolled after them. 

She was sitting outside the medbay doors along with other soldiers awaiting friends or medical attention when the front doors slid open, revealing none other than Jun. 

"Where is everyone?" He asked once he was beside her, helmet off. 

She looked towards the doors.   
"Emile, Carter and Stella are all getting fixed up, Jorge is in there explaining. You made it off reach?" 

He sighed, relaxing. "It was harder than anything I've ever done before, but yes." He collapsed in the chair beside the woman. 

"Oh, I bet we had a wilder time. You wouldn't believe what happened-" 

The two fell into catching each other up, talking rapidly about the fight, catching up and such. It was about half an hour before Jorge and Carter came out of the bay, Carter more bandage than man. 

They both greeted Jun warmly, happy to see him. "How're they?" He asked once the greetings where over.

"4 and 6 are staying overnight, doctors orders. They where surprised Emile was alive, he had so much internal bleeding. Stella is sleeping it off, but they want to keep her here just in case. We've got no new orders for now, they want us to rest up. I've got our rooms locations." Carter summed up, sounding more relaxed than he had in years. Of course, that could be because he was dead tired. 

"Lead on." Kat spoke, thinking sleep was the best thing in the world right now. The man nodded, and Noble team, minus two, left the bay and headed to bed.


	6. Time to Regroup

The two Spartans left behind slept as well, exhausted and recovering. 

Stella's eyes snapped open in the dark room, trying to remember where she was. She heard the beep of a heart monitor, could hear motion just outside of the room. The medbay of the orbital station, she remembered. And then she thought about what could have woken her up. She was a light sleeper, years of military service would do that to a person, but she couldn't hear anything besides the low beep, and the quiet shuffle in the hallway. 

And then she heard a nearly silent, bubbling, watery cough come from the cot beside her, and she understood. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she got to her feet, ignoring the burning pain in her legs and the tired scream of her muscles. 

She found Emile, still asleep without his helmet or chest piece, lying on his back, coughing blood. Spider was trying to flip him over, and Stella used her not bandaged arm to assist, rolling the man on his side. 

The blood spilled out into a bedpan that had been strategically placed beside his bed, the liquid a shade darker than normal. 

Emile had awoken when he felt a hand on him, but he knew it was Stella. 

"Get used to that, you've got a lot of blood where it shouldn't be." She spoke, quietly. She was tracing the bandage on his back, to the right of his spine. His dark skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, she could feel it.

He nodded, unable to speak just yet. His eyes followed her as she moved back to her bed, limping slightly, and she got back into it, sitting up. 

"Damage report?" He asked, sounding like Carter. 

"Broken arm, sprained ankle, two cracked ribs, and my right shoulder will be out of wack for a few weeks."

"Sounds like a wild party." 

She nodded, knowing he was watching. "I used a ghost to block off a cave I was using." She sat back and smiled. "Then I blew the fucker up." 

She turned to Emile, expecting him to be smirking at the very least, instead finding him frowning at her. He loved explosions. "What?" 

He looked angry, and upset, but he shook his head violently. "Nothing." 

He sat up, and Stella narrowed her eyes. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, eyes on Spider, who was checking bandages as he crawled over Emile. Six misunderstood his rage. 

"I'm sorry for... For burning shut so much shit in your chest, I was just trying to save you.." She spoke, looking down. 

"Six, don't- it's not that. I'm glad you saved me. Don't ever be sorry about that." He responded, gruff. "You remember earlier, when I said how I got through noble team dying?" He asked, and she nodded. 

"I just.... It was different with you. When the cave collapsed, I couldn't breathe. Don't. Don't do that again." He spat, voice getting angrier with every word. His heart rate was rising. 

"Emile-" 

"No. Six, don't ever fucking do that. You're important, special. You can't go out defending someone like me." 

She frowned at him. "What do you mean someone like you? You're just as important as me, or Carter, or Kat, or Cornell holland." 

He formed a fist and punched the bed, spider flinching away from him. "You don't- understand Six! It's more than that!" His heart monitor flipped the panic switch, sounding off loudly in the nearly quiet room. 

"Emile, calm down! Your heart-"

"Doesn't fucking matter! You do!" He shouted, blood starting to fall from his lips down onto the sheets. Stella started to get up, to go to the man, when the door burst open, two doctors and half a dozen nurses entering the room. They rushed to the panicking spartan, sedation shots in hand.

"Wait, don't-" Stella tried, but they had already injected him in multiple places. Emile went on the defensive, pulling a scalpel from one of the doctors and leaping from his bed, in a battle stance.

A doctor approached, trying to talk to him, but the spartan rushed the man. Spider threw up a shield, sitting on the doctors chest, saving him from the panicking man.

Stella ordered them back, standing in their places, facing Emile. She took a defensive stance, offset by her arm in a sling. 

"Four, please calm down." 

"I just need everyone fucking away from me! Let me breathe!" He shouted, holding one side of his head. The sedatives kicked in, causing him to stumble in place. 

"Okay Emile, okay." She backed up, the others following suit, and the man took a deep breath, relaxing his blade and blinking slowly. 

"Fucking sedatives..." He muttered, stumbling and falling. Stella was there as he met the floor, catching his head. The world blurred out rapidly, Stella's face the last to go.

The next morning, Noble team entered the medbay, coming to pick up their teammates. Emile was sill asleep, knocked out in his bed, and Stella was talking to the doctor.

"You still need plenty of rest, and I expect to see you in therapy every night for at least three weeks." He was saying, strapping her arm to her chest. She was completely out of armor, wearing a black tank top and green cargo pants. Her hair was still in a tight bun at the back of her head, and she had bandages from the bridge of her nose to the top of her lips. Still, she smiled brightly at Noble team. 

"Can do doc." 

"Yeah, we'll take care of her." Jorge swooped in to hug her, being careful of her injuries. Noble team was out of armor as well. Carter and Jorge where in fatigues, Jun in a pair of dark jeans and a camo shirt, and Kat was wearing fatigue pants, boots, and a white tank top. 

"And Emile?" Carter asked, looking at the man as he slept, frowning even in his sleep. 

The doctor, an aging man in his 50's, shook his head. "We've put him into induced stasis, last night he had a panic attack, tried to assault a doctor and a few nurses." Jun, standing by his bed, shook his head. 

"What? That doesn't sound like 4. 6?" 

All eyes went to the woman, and she shook her head. "We got to talking about Reach, and he just- lost it. I shouldn't have brought it up so soon." She shut her eyes tight, and the doctor cut in, sensing the tension. 

"Nevertheless, even without the panic, he still needs at least three more days of complete rest, we need to monitor his vein reconstruction." The man looked down at his board. "And if I heard correctly, the captain wants to see all active members of Noble team on the bridge." 

Carter nodded, sent another glance Emile's way, and walked from the room. Jorge and Jun followed, and Stella called Spider over. 

"Keep an eye on him okay? I'll pick you up before I go to therapy. I don't want him to wake up alone." She explained, holding the machine in her open palm. He mock saluted, then jumped onto Emile's bed, settling down at his feet. 

"Come on, we'll be late." Kat urged, taking her friends shoulder and moving from the room. 

Stella shook her head to clear it, then turned to her. "And how're you? They give us good barracks?" 

Kat smirked. "Fine, feel too light without my armor though. And wow, the beds here~" she threw her hands up, almost giddy. "Better than anything on Reach." 

Jorge butt in then. "Hey! Take it easy. Best rocks I ever slept on at Reach." 

Jun rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, those rocks are near and dear to my heart."

All four laughed then, almost bumping into Carter, who had stopped before the bridge door. "I'm still pulling sand out of my armor from that night, don't remind me." 

Smiling, noble team filed into the captains nest, directed by a pilot.  
Captain Jake Ross greeted them warmly. "Noble! A pleasure to meet the warrior Spartans that saved thousands of lives on Reach." He shook everyone's hands. 

"Shame we couldn't of saved Reach." 

The captain, a young man without scars and bright eyes, waved it off. "Nothing to be done about that. Glad to have you all here, on Telsia! Please, take a seat." He gestured to the large table before them, Stella settling down gratefully. Jun sat beside her, then Carter, with Kat and Jorge on the other side. 

"As of now, I've been given the authority over the deployment, training, and directive of Noble team, curtesy of the UNSC, and Cornel Holland." 

"Sir?" Kat asked, alarmed. Carter raised a few fingers in a calming signal. 

"And I am well informed of your injuries, skill sets, and backgrounds." He sent a look across the table, a devious gleam in his eyes. Spines set around the room. 

"Please, could you tell me what you know of the planet we are orbiting?" He pointed to a window, the blue planet close. 

Jorge shook his head. Reach was his expertise. Stella spoke up. "I know of the planets geology, not the politics." 

The captain smiled and beckoned her to go on. 

"Telsia is 80% water, much like earth. It was a lush forested planet thousands of years ago, but the covenant nearly glassed the place around then. All life that survived adapted to the water, and the land turned to harsh desert. Last report I'd seen said that Telsia has no native above water level plant life." 

The captain clapped his hands, smiling. "Exactly! Someone does their homework. Without anything on land, and having been deserted by the covenant, the UNSC had reclaimed this planet as ours. We've set up labs, training grounds, testing stations, almost anything you can think of." 

"I thought the planet was inhabited by an amphibious species, violent in nature and territorial." Jun pipped up, questioning. 

The captain tilted his head. "Correct. The Neyfin. Originally a land species, the rapidly adapted to Telsia's oceans during the covey attack. Now, they hunt anything that moves, and refuse any human peace proposals." 

"And our role in all this, sir?" Jorge asked, growing impatient with the details. 

Ross sent a sharp glance over the Spartans. "Keeping in mind your teams Recovering state, noble, I ask that you go to Telsia, head to base Dez, and train the new Spartans and soldiers that arrive everyday. Help the scientists with whatever they need." 

"We're not drill sergeants. We're frontline soldiers." Carter started, confused. 

The captain slammed his hands on the table, though no one flinched. "But that is exactly why we need you for this job. You're the best at what you do. Hell, you all made it off Reach! That was a mission that you weren't expected to come back from. We need that in every spartan, every soldier, every damn human across the galaxy." He stood up, looking pleased with himself. 

"I'm not good with idiot rookies." Kat said, breaking the silence. Stella turned to send her a mock glare, while Jun and Jorge cracked a smile. 

"To be honest noble team.... We need time to regroup. I won't have anything else. Until you're needed elsewhere, we need you on Telsia. Deployment is tomorrow morning." 

"Sir-" Stella nearly stood, eyes wide. Carter stepped in. 

"With all due respect sir, two of our team need time to heal." 

He waved his hands again. "No need to worry Noble team, we have plenty of doctors at Dez. I'd get plenty of sleep, Telsia is known for its sandstorms, the ride down is hell." And with that, the young man left the room. 

"I'm not gonna be the one to tell Four about this." Jorge said, rising from his place at the table. Jun shook his head as well. 

"I'll tell him. Six, go get some sleep. Everyone else, pack up, stock up, and try to find anything you can about this planet, and Dez. I'll meet you at the mess hall tonight." Carter commanded, sounding pissed, though the team knew not at them. 

He left the room quickly. 

Stella rose silently, intending to do just as her captain ordered, when Kat rose with her. The pair strode from the room, Six still limping lightly. 

"I'm going to pack rations. Damn if I know how long we'll have to go without real food again." 

Jun nodded. "I'm going for ammunition. Let's see how many sniper rounds I can slip out till they catch me." Both males left the room then, with different goals in mind. 

Emile awoke to Spider crawling over his arm, one of the few-without-armor-parts. The machine noticed immediately, scrabbling up to sit on his chest, a red heart appearing on the screen. Trying to avoid rolling his eyes, Four sat up, ignoring the pain in his chest, and looked around. 

He was half startled to see Carter sitting in a chair across from his bed, watching him. 

"Good to see you awake. How you feeling Four?" He asked, leaning forward. 

Emile did a quick full body check. 

"Chest hurts like hell, but I think my internal bleeding has stopped. I'm good to go boss." The man threw his legs over the side of the bed, pushing Spider away as he tried to stop him. Carter said nothing, but was beside him as his legs didn't respond to his spine. 

Emile stumbled, but did not fall, managing to stand tall after a moment. Noble 1 nodded once, then moved away. 

"Good. Because I've got more bad news." 

Emile nodded, feeling spider crawl up his back and settle on his shoulder. 

"We've been deployed to the planet this station is orbiting, Telsia. No Covent, thank god. But we're supposed to train new UNSC soldiers and Spartans." 

"Cap, I'm no good with rookies." 

Carter nodded. "Same thing Two said. But we have no choice. And the captain thinks it'll give us time to heal and help the core at the same time." 

Emile shook his head and looked around, thinking. "I'm with Noble no matter what. When's deployment?" 

"Tomorrow morning. Doc said to get plenty of sleep, ride down's hell." 

Emile chuckled once, reaching for his armor. "Yeah. I'll get right on that." 

Carter smiled once, turning to head for the door, but paused in the doorway. "What happened last night?" 

Emile froze, then continued looking for his Kukri. "Nothing important boss." 

"Six?" 

Emile sighed. It seemed everyone knew about his thing for her, besides hopefully her. He was planning on making a move, well, before he freaked out last night. He resisted the urge to punch something as he thought about how stupid he was. 

"Six." He answered simply. Carter nodded again, and left the room. Emile finished with his chest piece, noticing the repaired hole, and slipped on his helmet. 

Halfway across the ship, lying half asleep across her bunk, Six's connection to Spider flipped back off. She'd heard everything, and her eyes widened with the realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearing the end of what I've written! I hope you all liked it, comments are welcome. Thanks for reading.


	7. To Telsia

The next morning, outfitted in full armor, Six reported to medical before the trip down. The doctor- his name with McCoven, she realized, greeted her happily. 

"Nice to see one Noble report." 

"Four didn't show up?" 

He nodded, reaching for his ever present holo board. "But enough about that. How's the arm today?" 

"Still on enough pain killers to knock out Jorge." 

The doctor laughed, scanning the broken limb quickly. He had locked the limb against her chest like a sling was in place, the armor acting like a cast. "That's good. You're still on your feet, but the Captain has asked that I limit your painkillers when you go planet side." He searched her face for a reaction, but found none. 

"Yes sir." She nodded once instead, brisk and short. "Although, may I ask about the base we're being deployed too? Dez?" 

He nodded, arranging a few boxes and jars on a counter. "Carry on, Noble Six." 

"Do you think we've been placed there because we're needed in training? I don't understand why they'd need Spartans for that."

"I do believe so. I see plenty of new recruits and Spartans just out of training head to Telsia everyday." He walked past her, to straighten some equipment, but leaned in. 

"But between you and I, something odd is going on down there. I don't know what, but keep on your toes." He reached for her good arm, and she met him half way. 

He smiled, pulling away, and she opened her palm. In it where two bottles- one had Emile's name on it, the other was a blank bottle of heavy duty painkillers. When he spoke next, it was loud, booming. 

"Six, those blood thinners are for Noble Four. Because he didn't come in for evaluation, I'd like you to deliver these to him later. I know I didn't give you any pain pills;" he turned to wink at her, smiling, and she ducked her head in thanks. "Just report to medical officer Finch at Dez tonight, he's in charge of your allotted amount." 

Stella took the hint and rose, smiling at the good doctor. "Thanks doc, I will. Good luck." She turned to head out the door, and he echoed her. 

Once out in the hallway, she checked the time and cursed. She was nearly late for departure! Putting on her helmet, she called for Spider. He reported that he was already at the ship, minus Carter and herself. Cursing again, she started off at a sprint, dodging crew staff, soldiers, and civilians alike. 

"Calling all UNSC reporting to Telsia. This is a last call, ships depart in ten minutes. Calling all UNSC scheduled to report planetside. This is a last call." Came over the coms, blaring loudly over the noise. Spider hummed nervously at Stella, and she rolled her eyes, already heading through the bay doors. She could see the Broadsword noble team had been assigned, Jorge sitting by the door. Kat was arguing with the pilot, and soldiers rushed around the huge landing zone. 

Stella had just raised a hand to wave at Jorge when she was slammed into by a civilian. She stopped, looking down at the old woman, who had her arms about the spartan, weeping loudly. She was mumbling something in a foreign language, and another civilian man, younger but looking much the same, ran up with a soldier. 

"Ma'am, sir, all civilians need to evacuate the docking bay. Please leave." The soldier was saying, looking tired, but well mannered. 

The civilian man approached, reaching for the woman. 

"Is she alright?" Six asked, feeling her grip tighten. The man nodded, smiling at her kindly. "What is she saying?"

"She's thanking you for saving our family on Reach." 

Stella looked down at her, understanding. She awkwardly patted her on the back, and the woman detached herself, taking her good hand and pressing it to her forehead. 

"It was my pleasure. I'm sorry I couldn't save your home." Stella said, and the man, likely her son, translated. The old woman smiled widely, weeping still. The alarm sounded again. 

"Six! Report!" Carter yelled over the noise, and the spartan woman said her goodbyes, the solider herding the pair away. 

Stella sprinted to the Broadsword, getting on just before the doors shut. 

"Fan?" Jun questioned as she sat next to him, Carter reporting to the pilot, and the rest of Noble settling in. Spider latched onto Six's belt, going into sleep for the ride down. 

"One of the civilians from Reach." 

The cabin grew silent, everyone reflecting. It was broken as Carter told them all to buckle in, they where lifting off. Despite herself, Six's eyes drifted to Emile, the man back in full armor. He looked fine, but she could tell from the way he sat, to the way his chest stuttered every fourth breath, to the way his left foot was angled differently that something was wrong. She resisted sighing, choosing instead to reload her shotgun in the silent cabin. Jun joined her, and the patterned noise of rounds sliding into place calmed everyone slightly. 

It was times like this that the ever present question; Were Spartan's emotionless war machines, rung loudly in her mind. Spider would list facts about Spartans saving thousands, or giving their lives for the benefit of humanity to fill the silence, but for now she was alone. Looking at herself, just hardly holding on to social behavior, making choices depending on the lives, reloading a shotgun to calm herself, she nearly shivered. Six didn't want to answer that question now, because she knew the answer. 

"Entering Telsia orbit. T-minus 3 minutes, 32 seconds till the first sandstorm. Brace yourselves." Came the unfamiliar voice of the male pilot, along with ship turbulence. 

Stella reached behind herself immediately, following orders without a second thought, and nearly cursed herself. Emile chuckled, noticing the tense air of the cabin, and Kat whipped around to glare at him through her helmet. 

Jorge shifted his machine gun closer, locking it against him with one heavy boot, and Jun leaned back. 

"Entering storm in three... Two... One." 

The ship rocked violently, almost thrown off course, fighting against the dust and rock. The hull let loose all kinds of noises as rocks collided with it, shields down this close to the planet, but nothing else disturbed Noble team. 

"You know, the soldiers down here say if you only get through one storm to get here, it's good luck. Consider this a good omen." The pilot spoke up, sounding more relaxed. 

"We need it." Carter said, hushing the plane again. That is, till it collided roughly with the ground. Or, more likely, a sand dune. 

"This is your stop! Captain Rodgers should be just by the door. Good luck!" Then the pilot cursed, the engine letting out a groan as it filtered sand. "I keep telling them to clear off this landing pad. Damn dunes...." The rest was lost as the ship doors slid open, the howling wind and sand pushing it's way in. Everyone grabbed weapons and their meager supplies and headed out, landing on the very dirty landing pad. They had just cleared the Broadsword doors when they slid shut again, and the huge ship took off, kicking up more dirt, rock, and sand. 

Noble couldn't see very far, but lucky for them, Dez was huge. Gigantic white doors where just steps away, and as Carter herded them closer, they opened, groaning as they let Noble team in. 

With everyone shaking sand from their armor, they almost didn't notice the man standing in the hallway before them. 

"Welcome to Telsia." Came a deep, powerful voice. Everyone turned to see the captain, presumably, a tall, muscle bound man about the same size as Jorge. He was decorated in metals, rank, and size, despite being an older man. His pitch black hair had just started to grey at the temples, and he had a black mustache across his lips. 

"Good to be here sir. This is Noble Team. I'm Carter, Noble one, my second, Kat, Noble two, Jun, Noble three, Emile and Jorge, Noble four and Five, and Stella, Noble six." Carter introduced, his team nodding as he said each of their names. 

"Nice to finally meet all of you, it's a pleasure. Captain Rodgers, at your service." He stepped forward to shake everyone's hands, a little old fashioned, but was met warmly, and went on. "Used to be General Rodgers, but age took me out of the good fight." He smiled at that, slightly relaxing everyone. No one liked serving under an ass of a captain.

"Bout time for the tour. Diaz!" He shouted, looking about the hallway. Three different doors went off in three different directions, but no one answered. "Damn her. Where is that woman?" Rodgers muttered, though not harshly. "DIAZ!" 

The sound of footsteps, and then another person joined the group. "Rodgers, how many times have I told you that i cannot just stop experiments when you want me to play tour guide!" She spat, trying to get an arm through her lab coat. 

Diaz was a short woman, thin and lithe, with incredibly long black hair and tanned skin. Her sharp brown eyes scanned the group rapidly, and then she turned to glare at Rodgers. He smirked back. 

"Yet you always come running... Onward!" He veered left sharply, down the right door, and the tour began. 

"This wing of the compound is the military training. This will be your stomping ground Noble team, im giving you free reign over everything here. Weapons, soldiers, training programs, you name it, you have it. Anything to whip these poor excuses of soldiers into fighters." He stopped, noticing a group of privates lounging about the room, not doing much of anything. Rodgers marched off towards them, screaming something, and they all scrambled to move. 

Diaz turned to the group. "Sorry about that. My name is Donna Diaz, head researcher here on Telsia. All the other scientists report to me. You are Noble team?" She had a thick Hispanic accent, likely born on earth, yet she still looked young. Once introductions where over, Rodgers returned, red faced. 

"Damned lazy privates... Wouldn't last a minute in real combat. Anyway, follow me this way." He said, leading the group down another hallway, past at least a dozen doors, and veered left sharply, and kept going for plenty of time. 

Finally, they stopped in front of a large viewing window. On the floor below where scientists of all size, gender, and color crowded around all types of things. A large portion of the room was filled by a huge tank, what looked like turtles swimming in the water. Diaz stepped forward, and the floor began to move, a viewing room above the room. 

"This is the science wing, dedicated to researching all types of things. While half of all experiments are on Telsia specialized objects, the other half works on weapons, biological warfare, and medical advances commissioned by the UNSC for the benefit of humanity and her planets." She paused to let it sink it. "From what I know of your deployment, I believe you are at our disposal as well. I will not ask much, simple retrieval missions at most..."

Rodgers butt in then, scoffing. "Ha! That's what you told that poor group of love sick privates! I lost six men that day." 

Diaz rolled her eyes, pushing past him and towards a set of stairs. "They offered their services." Was her answer. She paused to have her hand scanned, and then a door swished open, the woman vanishing. 

Rodgers rolled his eyes at the closing door. "Something about that woman and vanishing." He muttered, and moved forward again. He turned right, and it was a shorter trek this time before they ended up in what looked like a lunch room. It was morning, yet it was filled with plenty of soldiers. They all froze and fell silent as the captain and Noble team stepped in, most looking with awe, some curiosity, a few anger, and some of indifference. Rodgers ignored them, taking another hallway to the right, and then another left. In this room was what looked like a break room, complete with a table, laptop, chairs, and some type of work tables. 

"Welcome to your barracks. We've got plenty of space here at Dez, so feel free to stretch out." He pointed to three doors scattered about the room, and Noble team shared a glance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment if you want more!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it. If you want more, comment, and I'll post more chapters. Any questions and suggestions are appreciated.


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